Melbourne:
Amid reports of a series of educational scams, Australia is all set to bring in stricter rules to protect overseas students, including those from India, from "fake" operators in the USD 12 billion international education sector.
Under the new rules, all registered educational institutions need to re-register under tougher criteria by the end of next year and make the education agents "more transparent and accountable".
"The message to providers is, if you're not providing your students with a quality education in a safe environment, clean up your act or risk being shut down," Education Minister Julia Gillard informed the Parliament on Wednesday.
Gillard was introducing amendments to the law regulating schools that provide courses to nearly half a million overseas students who come to Australia each year.
She said the industry had grown too fast, with insufficient checks and balances, which attracted a small number of unscrupulous operators.
"We need to weed out shonky operators," she said.
It will now require all institutions registered on the Commonwealth Register of Institutions and Courses for Overseas Students to re-register under tougher criteria by the end of next year and make the use of education agents "more transparent and accountable".
Gillard said requiring re-registration would restore confidence in the quality of Australian education.
Gillard said all providers would have to publish a list of the agents, whether within or outside Australia, they use.
The government was also considering forcing providers to develop websites to allow students to make anonymous comments about agents.
Under the new amendment, the principal purpose of education providers will be to provide education and to demonstrate capacity to provide education of a satisfactory standard.
Providers will also need to list the names of education agents who represent them and promote their education services and to require them to comply with any matters prescribed in the regulations concerning their agents.
The amendments are the first in a series of measures the government is taking to ensure Australia continues to offer world-class quality international education in this "challenging and changing" environment.
Further complimentary initiatives to enhance Australia's ability to deliver quality education services to overseas students will include review of the ESOS Act and development
of the National International Student Strategy under the Council of Australian governments.
Once the Bill has passed through parliament, further information on implementation of the amendments will be made available.
Amid reports of a series of educational scams, Australia is all set to bring in stricter rules to protect overseas students, including those from India, from "fake" operators in the USD 12 billion international education sector.
Under the new rules, all registered educational institutions need to re-register under tougher criteria by the end of next year and make the education agents "more transparent and accountable".
"The message to providers is, if you're not providing your students with a quality education in a safe environment, clean up your act or risk being shut down," Education Minister Julia Gillard informed the Parliament on Wednesday.
Gillard was introducing amendments to the law regulating schools that provide courses to nearly half a million overseas students who come to Australia each year.
She said the industry had grown too fast, with insufficient checks and balances, which attracted a small number of unscrupulous operators.
"We need to weed out shonky operators," she said.
It will now require all institutions registered on the Commonwealth Register of Institutions and Courses for Overseas Students to re-register under tougher criteria by the end of next year and make the use of education agents "more transparent and accountable".
Gillard said requiring re-registration would restore confidence in the quality of Australian education.
Gillard said all providers would have to publish a list of the agents, whether within or outside Australia, they use.
The government was also considering forcing providers to develop websites to allow students to make anonymous comments about agents.
Under the new amendment, the principal purpose of education providers will be to provide education and to demonstrate capacity to provide education of a satisfactory standard.
Providers will also need to list the names of education agents who represent them and promote their education services and to require them to comply with any matters prescribed in the regulations concerning their agents.
The amendments are the first in a series of measures the government is taking to ensure Australia continues to offer world-class quality international education in this "challenging and changing" environment.
Further complimentary initiatives to enhance Australia's ability to deliver quality education services to overseas students will include review of the ESOS Act and development
of the National International Student Strategy under the Council of Australian governments.
Once the Bill has passed through parliament, further information on implementation of the amendments will be made available.
